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    • Vanderbilt football, Diego Pavia legit despite loss to Texas
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    Vanderbilt football, Diego Pavia legit despite loss to Texas

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    Vanderbilt Football and Diego Pavia battled No. 6 Texas to the end on Saturday.

    The Commodores (5-3, 2-2 SEC) nearly earned a second big win of the season before falling just short. Vanderbilt cut the Longhorns’ lead to one touchdown in the third quarter and it stayed there for most of the fourth quarter.

    The Commodores cut the lead to three points in the final minute, though Texas (7-1, 3-1) recovered the onside kick to grind away the 27-24 win.

    This was a game that made Texas uncomfortable, and Vanderbilt can be proud of that despite the loss.

    Here are our overreactions to the game:

    Vanderbilt football is legit, even without a win over Texas

    Vanderbilt is still technically alive to compete for the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. After LSU and Texas A&M wrap up their play Saturday night, all but one team will suffer a conference loss. It’s not impossible to imagine a two-loss SEC team still finishing in the top two.

    Still, the Commodores likely won’t hear their name called during playoff selection Sunday. But that’s okay. Vanderbilt is still clearly much improved with the ability to work closely with teams like Texas. The Commodores’ season has already been a resounding success and they have firmly established themselves as a team that no opponent can overlook.

    THE PAVIA FAMILY Diego Pavia’s family joins him in the thrill ride of being a QB during a football season at Vanderbilt

    Clark Lea’s aggressive fourth down calls were the right plays

    During the third quarter, Vanderbilt went for a fourth-and-7 at the Texas 35-yard line instead of attempting a long field goal. Brock Taylor can hit reliably from that distance, but coach Clark Lea decided to be aggressive instead. The decision worked, as Vanderbilt was assessed a pass interference penalty and later scored a touchdown on the play on fourth-and-3.

    Later in the fourth quarter, the Commodores went for a fourth-and-2 at their own 35 and Pavia’s pass was intercepted. While that call ultimately didn’t work out for Vanderbilt, it was ultimately the right decision.

    The Commodores are used to thriving as underdogs, and such aggressive calls should remain part of Vanderbilt’s identity.

    Brock Taylor has a case for Vanderbilt’s best kicker ever

    Shortly before halftime, Vanderbilt drove to the Texas 36-yard line. For many kickers, the ensuing 54-yarder would be a tough ask. But not for Brock Taylor. Taylor easily hit the kick, his fifth this season for 50 yards.

    No other Commodores kicker has hit five field goals of more than 50 yards in his career, let alone in the same season. That gives Taylor a chance to be Vanderbilt’s best kicker ever, even if this is his first season as a player after redshirting in 2023.

    Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

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